But first, from under shady arborous roof
Soon as they forth were come to open sight
Of day-spring and the sun (who scarce up-risen
With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean brim,
Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray,
Discovering in wide landscape all the east
! Of Paradise and Eden's happy plains),
Lowly they bowed adoring, and began
Their orisons, each morning duly paid
In various style; for neither various style
Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise
Their Maker, in fit strains pronounced or sung
Unmeditated, such prompt eloquence

Flowed from their lips, in prose or numerous ve
More tunable than needed lute or harp
To add more sweetness; and they thus began :

"These are thy glorious works, Parent of go
Almighty! thine this universal frame,
Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous then
Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens,
To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine
Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
Angels; for ye behold him, and with songs
And choral symphonies, day without night,
Circle his throne rejoicing; ye in Heaven.
On earth join all ye creatures, to extol

Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.
Fairest of stars, last in the train of night,

137. arborous roof. See IV. 690-697.

140. wheels. Phoebus, the Sun, was represented by the ancients as rising from the ocean brim and driving his chariot over the vault of heaven.

142. Discovering, making visible; opening to the view.

147. wanted they, were wanting in, or unprovided 148. pronounced, spoken 150. numerous, flowing in bers or numbered syllables

156. Unspeakable, not to scribed by words.

163. circle, surround.

If better thou belong not to the dawn,

170

Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling morn
With thy bright circlet, praise him in thy sphere
While day arises, that sweet hour of prime.
Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul,
Acknowledge him thy greater; sound his praise
In thy eternal course, both when thou climb'st,
And when high noon hast gained, and when thou
fall'st.

Moon, that now meet'st the orient sun, now fly'st, 175
With the fixed stars, fixed in their orb that flies;
And ye five other wandering fires, that move
In mystic dauce not without song, resound
His praise, who out of darkness called up light.
Air and ye elements, the eldest birth

180

Of Nature's womb, that in quaternion run
Perpetual circle, multiform, and mix

And nourish all things, let your ceaseless change
Vary to our great Maker still new praise.
Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise
From hill or steaming lake, dusky or gray,

167. better, rather.

170. prime. See line 21. The Prime is the early morning service in the Roman church.

175. now meet'st the orient sun, now fly'st. At new moon, the moon rises with or meets the sun; from new to full, she may be said to fly from the sun; from full, when she is opposite to the sun, to new, she seems to approach him.

176. With, together with; as well as, referring to resound. -fixed in their orb that flies. It was the notion of the ancient astronomers that the stars were fixed in a crystal sphere, the motion of which brought these bodles into different situations with regard to the Earth, which was supposed to be the centre of this and the other spheres.

185

177. five other wandering fires. The planets are so called from a Greek word meaning to wander, because they change their places with regard to the fixed stars, among which they seem to wander. In Milton's time, only five of these, besides the Earth, were known. They were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Sat

urn.

178. not without song. It was supposed by some of the ancients, that the harmonious movements of the heavenly bodies produced sweet sounds, which they called the Music of the Spheres.

181. that in quaternion, that, four in number, run a perpetual circle, one element mingling with, or, as it were, changing into another.

Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with
In honor to the world's great Author rise,
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolore
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling show
Rising or falling, still advance his praise.
His praise, ye winds, that from four quart
Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops
With every plant, in sign of worship wave
Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his pra
Join voices, all ye living souls; ye birds,
That singing up to Heaven-gate ascend,
Bear on your wings and in your notes his
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth and stately tread or lowly creep
Witness if I be silent, morn or even,
To hill or valley, fountain or fresh shade,
Made vocal by my song and taught his pra
Hail, universal Lord, be bounteous still
To give us only good; and, if the night
Have gathered aught of evil, or concealed,
Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark!

So prayed they innocent, and to their t Firm peace recovered soon and wonted cal On to their morning's rural work they hast Among sweet dews and flowers, where any Of fruit trees over-woody reached too far Their pampered boughs, and needed hands Fruitless embraces or they led the vine To wed her elm; she spoused about him t Her marriageable arms, and with her bring Her dower, the adopted clusters, to adorn His barren leaves. Them thus employed

189. uncolored, without variety. of color.

207. Have gathere aught of evil.

With pity Heaven's high king, and to him called 220 Raphael, the sociable spirit, that deigned

To travel with Tobias, and secured

His marriage with the seven-times wedded maid.

66

Raphael," said he, "thou hear'st what stir on
Earth

Satan, from Hell scaped through the darksome gulf,
Hath raised in Paradise, and how disturbed
This night the human pair, how he designs
In them at once to ruin all mankind.
Go therefore, half this day as friend with friend
Converse with Adam, in what bower or shade
Thou find'st him, from the heat of noon retired
To respite his day-labor with repast
Or with repose; and such discourse bring on
As may advise him of his happy state,
Happiness in his power left free to will,
Left to his own free will, his will though free
Yet mutable; whence warn him to beware
He swerve not, too secure: tell him withal
His danger, and from whom; what enemy,
Late fallen himself from Heaven, is plotting now
The fall of others from like state of bliss;
By violence? no, for that shall be withstood;
But by deceit and lies: this let him know,
Lest wilfully transgressing he pretend
Surprisal, unadmonished, unforewarned."

So spake the eternal Father, and fulfilled All justice nor delayed the winged saint

221-223. In the book of Tobit the angel Raphael is described as the companion of Tobias, travelling with him into Media and instructing him how to drive away the evil spirit, that he might marry the seven-times wedded maid. See IV. 168-171.

226

230

235

240

245

226. disturbed, hath disturbed.
230. what, whatever.
234. advise, inform.

238. secure. See II. 399.
245. surprisal, to have been
taken by surprise.

After his charge received; but from among
Thousand celestial Ardors, where he stood
Veiled with his gorgeous wings, up springing
Flew through the midst of Heaven; t
quires,

On each hand parting, to his speed gave w
Through all the empyreal road; till at the
Of Heaven arrived, the gate self-opened w
On golden hinges turning, as by work
Divine the sovran architect had framed.
From hence (no cloud, or, to obstruct his s
Star interposed, however small) he sees,
Not unconform to other shining globes,
Earth, and the garden of God, with cedars
Above all hills: as when by night the glas
Of Galileo, less assured, observes
Imagined lands and regions in the moon;
Or pilot from amidst the Cyclades
Delos or Samos first appearing kens,
A cloudy spot. Down thither prone in flig
He speeds, and through the vast ethereals
Sails between worlds and worlds, with stea
Now on the polar winds, then with quick
Winnows the buxom air; till, within soar
Of towering eagles, to all the fowls he seen
A phoenix, gazed by all, as that sole bird,

249. Ardors, bright spirits; seraphim.

250. Veiled with his gorgeous wings. "Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly." Isaiah vi. 2.

251. quires. See IV. 711.
259. unconform, unlike in form.
261. the glass of Galileo.

I. 287-291.

262. assured, certain.

See

of islands in the Archipelago, east of lie around Delos, portant of them. ther to the east clades, on the coa

nor.

265. kens, sees a descries.

270. Winnows, b See II. 842.-within descended to the re towering eagles soar 272-274. The pho

264. the Cyclades are a group cording to the an